


A Fledgling Romance.

by cuddlepuss



Category: Balthazar - Fandom, Castiel - Fandom, Dean Winchester - Fandom, Gabriel - Fandom, Kevin Tran - Fandom, Lucifer - Fandom, Sam Winchester - Fandom, Samandriel - Fandom, Supernatural
Genre: Angels, Curses, Fairgrounds, Mental Deaging, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-01
Updated: 2014-05-01
Packaged: 2018-01-21 13:00:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1551344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cuddlepuss/pseuds/cuddlepuss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel helps Sam and Dean hunt and kill a witch, but when clearing away the objects she cursed, Cas uses bare hands, not gloves like the brothers. Chaos ensues when four people are affected by the curse, three of them in a most alarming way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Fledgling Romance.

**Author's Note:**

> An idle conversation with my daughter lead to this tale of unlikely happenchance and childish antics.

Dean, Cas And Sam had been on a simple hunt, and it had ended easily enough when they’d killed the witch behind the spate of bizarre incidents that had led them there, at Least, they had THOUGHT it was over. While they were clearing away the other objects she’d cursed, however, Cas inadvertently touched a figurine of a cupid – not knowing the specifics of the curse on it. That’s when Sam’s …..nightmare began.

He didn’t know what had caused the rapid change in his brother and their best friend, but the instant difference in them was obvious. Although PHYSICALLY unaltered, BEHAVIOURALLY, that was a whole other ball game. Both dropped what they were doing, looking around in wide eyed confusion as they plopped down onto their butts where they were. Dean’s thumb went to his mouth as Cas rubbed his eyes and WAILED for his brothers. Sam was at a loss for words.

Gathering the rest of the stuff, swiftly but safely into boxes and crates, he dumped it all into the Impala’s trunk and guided his seemingly mentally age reduced brother and friend into the back seat for the ten hour drive back to the bunker. Unfortunately, that went south as fast as it took for Dean to need feeding, and poop himself.

Pulling in to the very next stop he found, Sam, face palming as his ‘big brother’ howled like a one year old, Cas whimpering along in sympathy. Sam raced into the shop and bought the first set of clothes that would fit Dean he could find, along with some baby wipes and a couple of fleece blankets, before dashing out to the Impala and collecting the two age reduced males and leading them to the washroom.

Having, embarrassingly, cleaned up his grown brother’s butt, and sorted him into fresh clothes, he turned his attention to Cas, who was shuffling from one foot to the other, looking unsure of what he wanted or needed to do. Sam, taking no risks, had both Cas and Dean try to use the toilet, - or ‘potty’ – before heading, with them, into the diner attached.

Once seated, he placed an order for ….what? What WOULD the age reduced Dean and Cas eat or drink now? Sam went with burgers with fries and salads all round, milk shakes and fruit for after. When the food came, and was cut down for the awkward grip of the baby powered hands, silence reigned, briefly, allowing Sam to get his first chance to think and plan his next move since the whole thing began. 

THAT was when he was struck by genius – he’d call an expert. He’d call someone with experience with fledgling angels – he called Gabriel. With a quiet whoosh of breeze, Gabe stood beside them, looking for all the world as if whatever was wrong was somehow SAM’S fault. With a rushed, shushed, explanation, as best as he could, Sam told Gabriel all he knew of what had led to their predicament, and of his desperate need for help. 

Gabriel, looking into the confused young eyes of his mentally shrunken brother, sees the truth of what has happened, and, when everyone is back in the car, zaps it, and them, back to the bunker, calling up Lucifer and Balthazar on route. Balthazar doesn’t arrive alone though. It seems that this spell, while reducing the victim _and their soul mate_ to the age of babies, also brings together the two people that they feel the most guilty over – those being the two that Castiel had killed most recently with the least amount of provocation – Balthazar had the full grown, but child minded Samandriel with him.

Lucifer, arriving with a face that was darker than your average thundercloud, stomped into the bunker’s main room, and scowled at his no-longer-dead brother, before growling out a half heard question. Cas and Samandriel, recognising the Morning Star, scooted over to him on their bottoms, clutching his legs, with earnestly beaming grins on their faces. Dean, who doesn’t recognise him, cowered behind Sam’s legs for security.

With an explanation of what happened for both Balthazar and Lucifer, Gabriel read’s Samandriel’s mind, just as he had Castiel’s, and looked across at Dean. This was powerful, old, dark magic, and not something that there was an instant answer for, he couldn’t do it alone, nor could he leave all the work to the human, Sam. That’s when Kevin arrived from the back of the bunker somewhere, arms full of dusty books and folders, humming a tune under his breath.

He stopped dead when he saw the cluster of beings in the room, and noticed the differences in Dean and Cas, Sam called him over, introducing everyone and filling him in on what had happened. Leaving the three mentally resized men in the company of the two archangels, the angel and the profit, Sam went to start removing, with the greatest of caution, from the car, all the cursed items that they’d suddenly got possession of. 

As he bore the boxes and crates of goods into the store room of the bunker for temporary storage prior to cataloguing and study, Lucifer came over to demand access to the ones involved in the fiasco they all found themselves involved in, Sam retorted that he’d have to wait until it was all in the room and he’d a chance to sort it from all the rest of the items in the haul. The Morning Star, unimpressed, clicked his fingers and it was there.

Hefting a pained sigh, Sam carefully found and handed over the Cupid that Cas had held, and the Emerald and Sapphire pendant that had been in Dean’s gloved hands when the curse struck. Lucifer, muttering about leaving him to ‘do his thing’, wandered off into a side room, shut the door, and fell silent. With little else to do for the time being, Sam returned to the main room to see what was happening there.

The sight that met his eyes was truly a picture to behold. Dean and Castiel, one holding on to either of his legs, had Kevin pinned to the map table by virtue of his being unable to stand to move away, Samandriel _I’s ‘Mandweuw’_ was clinging to the waist of a flustered looking Balthazar, while Gabriel was chuckling and chewing in a candy bar, one that Dean was calling for. A smile on his face, Gabe snapped up candy for all of the young in mind, and set out activities like finger painting and soft toys play before sitting down on the couch with a large hot chocolate and some triple chocolate cheesecake.

Balthazar, still with Samandriel attached to his arm, plopped down beside him, Samandriel almost in his lap. He huffed an impatient breath. _Does ANYONE know why Samandriel’s sticking to my side like a whore to a rich man’s wallet?_ Gabe, a mouthful of his drink spewing over his top as he bellowed a laugh at the simile, nodded, proudly. With a sour look, Balthazar asked if he’d like to share with the class, almost gleefully, he did.

_From what I saw when I looked into Cas, Dean and Samandriel’s minds, it seems that the cursed object will affect the person that touches it, their soul mate, and the two people they feel most guilty about. Dean is evidently Cas’s soul mate, and you, Balthazar, and Samandriel, are those he feels guiltiest for at present, as you were the two he most recently killed with least provocation. Whereas you were already brought back to life, Samandriel hadn’t been, so it returned him to life and mentally reduced his age, while magnetizing him to you. YOU, Balthazar, are his one source of comfort in this time. Get used to it bro, he’s with you until we can deal with whatever this curse is._

By this time, it was early evening, and the ‘youngsters’ were getting both tired and hungry, taking to the kitchen, Sam and Gabe cooked up a meal of fish pie with green beans and fries, helping the age reduced members to navigate the food into willing mouths so they were at least fed a reasonable amount before they had to be bathed again. Once that was done, it was off to bed. 

This, however, brought unforeseen complications in the shape of an outsized cot being required for the men affected, or, at least, for two of them. While Cas and Dean happily snuggled into one another while Gabe snapped Dean’s queen sized bed into a safe cot for the two of them, Samandriel wouldn’t let go of Balthazar, and made loud protestations every time anyone tried to make him. Eventually, Balthazar, his vessel’s ears ringing, decided it would be in his best interests to take up the offer of a spare room and share the large bed with his overgrown baby.

During the night, an unearthly wailing set up from the ‘nursery’ as Dean wet through his nightwear, and Cas rolled into the puddle, making them both cold and wet. A yawning Sam, and a grouchy Gabe made their way into the room, with Sam holding his ears until Gabe had stopped Castiel from sobbing. After the cot and the men were dry and clean once more, thanks to some quick snapping from Gabriel, and shouted curses from the other residents of the bunker, Sam led the way into the kitchen to get bottles of milk for the two, and prepared a third for Samandriel, as he had just started to weep when they came in.

As a bleary eyed Balthazar joined them with a still downcast Samandriel, Sam pushed the third bottle towards him for his charge, and brewed a pot of coffee, a strong one. Looking at the clock, and seeing it only a little past four in the morning, Sam scooped a now sleepy Dean up into his arms, and took him back to the cot, Gabe following with Cas, leaving Balthazar to his own devices in the kitchen. Whether that would prove to be a good idea or not would be seen later – for now, Sam needed to sleep.

When he next awoke, at around seven, he couldn’t remember why he had a feeling of unease about the day’s activities. Until, that is, a squall came from Dean’s room, telling him that his older ‘baby’ brother was awake and wanting attention. On entering the room, he found a young minded Castiel, without a stitch on, sitting on the closet, kicking his feet and chuckling merrily, while his roommate, Dean, stood in the crib, shaking the bars, furious that Cas had escaped while he remained trapped. He wore as little as the angel.

Smiling and talking to Dean in a soft, reassuring voice, Sam let down the cot-side and lifted him to freedom. Rummaging around in Dean’s clothes, he found some of his old, comfortable clothing and dressed him, before hunting around for something to fit Cas. With them both dressed he took them both to the kitchen intending to feed them breakfast – until he saw the state of that room. He stood, slack jawed and disbelieving, as his mind failed to take in the mess before him. 

The work surfaces were smeared all over in peanut butter, chocolate spread, butter, jelly, fluff, bits of toast and biscuit crumbs sticking to it, spilt drinks covered the floor and the sink overflowed with dirty crockery and flatware. Sam pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache starting to form already in the day. Yelling for Balthazar to get his feathered butt into the kitchen, he sat the two men on chairs that he scrupulously scrubbed clean before doing so, and set about scouring the table free of its coating of who-knew-what.

Balthazar, arriving with a wide eyed Samandriel, had a shifty look on his face, and an apologetic half smile on his lips, the smile fell away with one look at the expression on Sam’s face. As Sam started to berate Balthazar, in as calm a manner as he could so as to not upset the young in mind, Kevin, Gabe and Lucifer appear, wondering what the fuss is about. When Gabe saw the kitchen he understood Sam’s disbelief. Kevin, watching the ‘children’, found the funny side when Samandriel, accidentally, launched the half empty jar of fluff at Balthazar and it disgorged the remains of its contents over his blonde head.

Lucifer, still trying to figure out the solution to the curse, glanced around, sighed heavily, and snapped the kitchen clean, with the exception of the marshmallow spread currently slicked all over Balthazar’s curls. Thanking the Morningstar, Sam proceeded to get breakfast for everyone, save Balthazar who demanded a shower first. It seemed it would be a long day.

Back in the side room, where Lucifer was once more ~~hiding~~ working on a cure, the peace was again interrupted by a loud shriek and shrill screams coming from the main room. Snapping himself there, he saw something that even HE had a hard time believing. There, on top of the highest shelf of the library, sat a terrified Dean, Castiel and Samandriel screaming helplessly at the bottom of the shelves, sat reaching up for their playmate. On the ground behind them was an unconscious Sam, knocked out cold by the book that Dean had evidently launched at him – probably an accident, but with that Winchester, even at that level of development, you could never tell.

With a sigh, the light bringer floated Dean back into the arms of his young friends, something Balthazar SHOULD have done when he first landed there, had he not been drunk at the time. Gabriel was summoned to take care of them, while Lucifer, once returning Sam to consciousness, made his way once more to his hideout.

The morning passed in a haze of screams, laughter, shouts, messes and muddles, wet clothes and dirty shorts, and by lunchtime, everyone was ready for a little down time. After feeding the three again, and changing them into MORE fresh clothing, Sam set the two into the cot for an afternoon nap while he went to start on another load of washing and drying. Kevin, seeing the tension building up in Sam’s shoulders, offered to listen out for them for an hour or two while Sam went on a supply run, Sam accepted with delight.

It took half an hour to get to the store, another hour to fill a trolley with all he thought their increasing group might need, and a further half hour to return again, the break really recharging his batteries, regardless of the fact that he was, actually, working. Grabbing the first few bags, Sam made his way into a bunker that was suspicious by its quietness. Shouting out the fact that he was back, he dumped those bags in the kitchen and returned to the car for more.

On the return from his third and final trip to the car, Sam wandered into the depths of the bunker, looking to see where everyone had gone – the place appeared empty, like the flaming Marie Celeste! As he got deeper into the labyrinthine tunnels and passages he heard the first, faint sounds of life – music was playing, very quietly, in the distance. Creeping forward, gun at the ready, Sam made his stealthy way toward the noises, the cheerful sounds joined by laughter as he got nearer.

Turning a corner, he stopped and stared in stunned disbelief. For there, right in front of him, was a fairground, complete with sideshows, rides, games of chance, concessions stands, the works. Kevin was on a rollercoaster with Dean and Cas, while Balthazar, looking slightly green about the gills, was on a helter-skelter with Samandriel, Lucifer and Gabriel were idly gossiping while demolishing hot dogs and coffees, empty cotton candy sticks were on the ground, all around them. 

Sam, with a wave to them, acknowledging where they were, returned to the kitchen to begin the task of storing the groceries – including pie – and made a start on the dinner that the over excited, child minded adults would surely need before they hit the sack for the night. When it was done, he disappeared to get them once more, only to find, when he got there, that Cas, Dean and Samandriel were their usual, adult selves. Lucifer, on seeing the bewilderment on Sam’s face, explained. The only ‘cure’ he’d managed to find, wasn’t a cure at all, it just sped up the aging process, so that what would take thirty human years, would take maybe three hours. Sighing in relief, and not too worried about the how so much as the fact that whatever he’d done had worked, Sam led the group to the kitchen for dinner.

Dean, delighted to find his ‘baby brother’ had prepared burgers, even if they were grilled, along with salad, and even better that he’d got pie too, slapped Sam’s shoulder, and hurried into his seat, almost inhaling his food. Cas accepted a burger, and thanked Sam for looking after him while he was ‘indisposed’. Samandriel, not taking anything to eat, none the less expressed gratitude to Sam, and Balthazar, for seeing to his needs while he, also, was unable to for himself.

Gabriel, Balthazar, and Lucifer, now free once more of encumbrances, left soon after, Balthazar leaving a rejoinder for Castiel not to touch any more cursed items without something on his hands first.


End file.
